St Edward, Cokethorpe or other Oxford Schools

I was just going to say that Cokethorpe is a day school. No boarding options as far as I know.
What about Headington?

Wychwood offers flexi boarding, but is a tiny tiny school - it doesn't suit everyone. But for the ones who like small schools it's brilliant.
Teddies - co-ed weekly boarding an option

What did you like about Cokethorpe?

Hi - just wanted to add a couple of things to this discussion. First, Cokethorpe doesn’t offer boarding of any kind - hasn’t for years. Second, I think it is important to be aware that different people look for different things in a school. What is great for one is not so for another. It’s a market so rather than aggressive nonsense (earlier post), my view is that, if you don’t like what the school offers, look elsewhere.

From my perspective, the comments made about Cokethorpe not catering for the brightest kids seem rather alien. Quite apart from the normal diet of lessons, there are so many other things to stimulate them, from writing in the student newspaper to learning about dissection and attending some great lectures. It is not as selective as some other local schools, but this makes it more real in my opinion. Looking at destinations information and recent results, I’d say there’s good evidence that it caters well for a whole host of children. Anecdotally, everything I see supports this. Teachers are great - very professional and engaged.

Shame, this hasn’t been my experience at all. I guess we are both ends of the spectrum......... not every school is the right fit.

As for the sport, nothing has been pushed as far as my child is concerned? Children can opt for fitness options over competitive sport?

It seems we have had very different experiences with our children. My views are my own, too.

Sorry you are so angry, hope the next school meets your expectations 😊

As a Cokethorpe parent in 2018 with up to date inside knowledge and several years' experience of the school there is nothing "outdated" about my views.

I won't be a 2019 Cokethorpe parent. I failed the parents' senior school entrance pre-test. Especially weak areas included: having no hostility to academic focus; thinking that learning a life-saving skill like swimming is more important than putting my kids at risk of head and spinal injuries on a rugby field or horse; being unable to process dodgy statistics like accepting that it is OK to claim 100% A*-B in A level Latin when one kid took it and got a B. I'm so crap I couldn't understand that this wasn't statistical charlatanism, and to make it worse, wanted to look at hard data for A level results in facilitating subjects rather than hear nice stories. I even thought my kids should study Computer Science and maybe Chinese. Silly me. That would take too much time away from rugby and horse-riding. And then there was me thinking the should have study leave to revise properly for GCSEs and A level. I am just not Cokethorpe material. Poor kids have to leave.

I will have to disagree about the local secondary schools, I am afraid. Nearly all of the people who went to either of the two local to us have few positive things to say. Large class sizes, limited resources and poor communication with home are recurrent concerns.

My child is in the top sets for languages, maths and science at Cokethorpe. She’s studying Latin and will have the opportunity to study all sciences individually. Classics is also offered at GCSE. Spanish and French are also taught.

Opinions here reflect outdated views of Cokethorpe. As a parent to a highly able child, her needs are being met. Pastoral care is outstanding too, a complete contrast to the experience we had in a local primary for 7 years. It does depend on the child, but to be able to attain their very best Cokethorpe is a perfect choice. My opinion of course!

Check out their results and don’t take my word for it!

I think that for kids of around average ability who are also into traditional country sports or drama you might do very well at Cokethorpe. Just do your homework on culture and provision inside and outside the curriculum and make sure it fits your kids’ needs. It’s a small school and its limited resources are not, by a long way, focused on the needs of the academically highly able. MFL, computing and classics all under resourced or non existent, no proper orchestra and those 140+ acres contain no pool or proper running track but they do have 6 rugby pitches. Our nearby comprehensive is better for bright kids. Check the fit very carefully indeed.

Thank you. I'm from that end of cokethorpe catchment too

It's true that the sixth form branch of d'overbroecks is huge and has a wide curriculum but you can't actually study all those subjects lower down the school.

I would also add that D’Overbroecks is (imho) a weird one. Quite spread out geographically with an admin office and satellite classrooms on Little Clarendon Street and other buildings including boarding houses up and down Woodstock and Banbury roads. It also seems to be rather like a college rather than a school in this respect with a lot of foreign students. I don’t know anyone locally who would consider it for their own local kids.

By locally I mean Oxford. There is a great bus service across the county. There are even collections from as far away as Swindon and Lechlade.

@chadlingtonchadders when you say better schools locally than cokethorpe what schools are you thinking of in comparison?

Personally I would never send my children to Cokethorpe. Has a reputation locally as somewhere people with more money than sense send their not very bright children. For the same money there are much better options locally.

Dinkydoos if your friend's DCs go to the Dragon they will be given very experienced advice on the best fit senior school for the individual DC. It is unusual for pupils to move before year 9.
Although St Edwards is a boarding school quite a few of the local Dragon pupils go there and seem very happy as day pupils if they enjoy the full week timetable that is part of the boarding school package. . The pretest is in Novemberof year 7.
Headington is a girls' school but is another popular choice for those living in Oxford itself and wanting a school for their DDs which provides lots of extracurricular activities and takes a wider range of academic abilities than OHS.

Whirlygig Could well be. If you had a DS would they have been able to go to that school?

I think OLA have marketed sensibly - it seems like they sell themselves as a "posh comp with no rough kids". A perfectly pleasant place for your kids to spend their school years and get their exams but I just don't really see the point when there are good state schools available.

DD does a sport mainly done by private school kids so has a lot of friends that go to OLA, St Helens and ABS but she never seems envious of them, which is reassuring.

It is a bit overwhelming. But Oxford is the best place to live- they won’t regret it!

Cokethorpe has a good bus service.

Our Lady’s got a new Head in about 2012 & the school has become more Catholic since then. I know some atheists who took their kids out for 6th Form. Catholic friends are v happy with it though. Easy bus travel to/from Abingdon from Oxford.
D’Overbroeks is really worth a look. Happy, academically good, selective but not the hardest tier of Oxford school to get into.
Cokethorpe is quite a way out of Oxford so travel needs more consideration and is less academic that D’Overbroeks.

My DD is at St Edwards. It's approx 85% boarders and 15% day. If you're day, especially as you get into the upper years you'll be doing long days as prep is until 9pm. However, you have a room allocated where you can rest, study and keep some personal things. My DD says you hardly notice the difference between day and boarders.

DD is there on a music scholarship so entry requirements may be different, but if you want to know what her minimum entry requirements were/what grades she achieved, please PM me. There are some very bright kids there, but like every school, they have different abilities.

St Edwards are very approachable, and down to earth. Moving out of our area and from state school, it took DD a while to settle in, but she loves it there now, in fact, she didn't want to come home for the holidays.

Don't be afraid of phoning/emailing with any queries. My DD attended an open day and she also visited again as we don't live locally.

Ah thanks HPFA I didn't know it wasn't as strict in selection. My dd was in a fabulous state school too, probably the same as yours.

I know St Helens & St Kats is stricter on entrance exams so I probably assumed.

Whirlygig There is an entrance exam but everyone from DD's primary who sat it got in. They certainly weren't all "top table" kids. There are two very selective indies in Abingdon so if the school became too fussy I can't see how it would have a market.

I don't think the school is excessively religious - again, I don't think it would have a market if it was.

I wouldn't choose it myself - DD is at a fabulous state school and I can't see what the kids get there that my DD isn't getting at her school- but DD's friends who go there are all nice and seem happy.

Cokethorpe is fabulous. My son loved it, so did I, pastoral care is second to none.

I say about D’o because I know quite a number of kids who have moved there from
Colethorpe recently. It’s small but very good academically from what people say and the children who I know who have moved are loving it.

Cokethorpe is a beautiful setting. I think some year groups recently have been tricky, particularly the girls but I don’t know if any schools can avoid that entirely. think the consensus on here is that it’s not the place for very bright kids necessarily. Their facilities are great though.

Cokethorp is lovely